The contract, which contains a firm order for 52 buses using New Flyer's Xcelsior platform, includes 12 to be built using New Flyer's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) styling. The contract also contains up to 140 options that may be awarded at a later date, with the option to build buses of diesel-hybrid, CNG or clean diesel propulsion.

RTD has an active transit bus fleet of 572 buses with an average bus fleet age of more than 10 years. The addition of these 52 Xcelsior buses will help RTD serve their 2.8 million service area population encompassed in the 40 municipalities, six counties, and two city/county jurisdictions.

The BRT style buses will be used to implement the new metroRide service, RTD's new free downtown circulator being implemented to correspond to the opening of Denver Union Station as the new multimodal transportation hub in downtown Denver.

Production of the 12 60-foot BRT-styled buses is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2014 with all buses being delivered by the second quarter 2014. The 52 60-foot Xcelsior buses will be manufactured beginning in the first quarter of 2014 and will all be completely manufactured and assembled at New Flyer of America's St. Cloud, Minn. manufacturing facility.

Tier One modernizes 300 stops along two of GRTC’s busiest routes with each stop receiving upgrades that include new flags with clearly visible route and bus stop numbers as well as eye-level, easy-to-use printed schedule and map information.

The 8.3-mile route, with a proposed 27 stops, would replace the Capital Area Transportation Authority’s current Route 1 from downtown Lansing to the Meridian Mall. Results from the plan’s environmental assessment study are expected to be shared at a public hearing this fall.